Philip Day

Philip Edward Day (born October 1965) is a Dubai-based British billionaire businessman. He is the CEO and owner of Peacocks and The Edinburgh Woollen Mill (which owns Bonmarché and Ponden Home).

As of May 2020, his net worth was £1.1 billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Early life Philip Edward Day was born in October 1965. He grew up on a council estate in Stockport and while at school he held down a number of part-time jobs, including working at his parents' newsagents shop.

Turning down a place at university, Day started his career at clothing manufacturers Coats Viyella and Wensum before being headhunted to join Aquascutum at the age of 28. He remained at the brand for 5 years, becoming Joint Managing Director. At the time, the company employed 3,140 people.

In 2009, Day bought Scottish golfing brand ProQuip for a reported £750,000. In 2011, Day acquired women's fashion retailer Jane Norman, which had fallen into administration.

In 2017, Day acquired British fashion brand Jaeger, again from administration. Day said the acquisition was part of EWM's plan to open a new department store.

In July 2019, Day's company, Spectre Holdings, had acquired 93% of the women's fashion chain Bonmarche.

Peacocks In 2012, Day acquired fashion retailer Peacocks out of administration. Day is reported have put £200 million of his own money on the line for the acquisition. EWM bought 338 of the chain's stores and said that they would open another 50 stores. According to Forbes, the turnaround of Peacocks played a significant role in Day's success.

Days Department Store in Carmarthen In May 2017, Day announced the Days Department Store, opening in the former BHS store in Guildhall Square, Carmarthen. The department store stocks products from a number of brands, including Peacocks, The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Ponden Home, Jane Norman and Austin Reed.

According to Drapers in January 2018, Day plans to open more than 50 of the stores and has plans to open shops in Crawley and Bedford. However, the chain would only have the Carmarthen shop, with the planned Bedford location becoming divided into Peacocks and The Edinburgh Woollen Mill with a Ponden Home concession, and the Crawley shop becoming a Peacocks.

In November 2020, it was announced that the department store was closing, however this was U-turned with the rescue of The Edinburgh Woollen Mill in January 2021.

Philanthropy Day owns a wildlife sanctuary in Scotland which undertakes research into the preservation and reintroduction of endangered Scottish wildlife, including wolves and wildcats. The park has more than 14 species of deer. Day also owns the largest green energy Anaerobic Digester in the UK.

Personal life Edmond Castle, c. 1840–50. Drawing by Charles Greenwood or Frederick Peake. Day has been married to his wife Debra since 1990. He owns Edmond Castle, a Tudor-style house in Brampton, Cumbria, England, built 1824 to 1829, and designed by Sir Robert Smirke. In 2010, their daughter Kirstie Day won Miss Cumbria; and a leaked email from EWM's head office to its stores ordered staff to vote for her to become Miss England, "I need and expect all stores to register a minimum of 10 votes today and I mean everybody!" Day later pursued a negligence claim against the solicitors who acted for him, on the basis that negligent advice resulted in excessive court costs in the criminal proceedings, that negligence claim was dismissed by the High Court on 3 December 2021.

In February 2014, Day was due in Dumfries Sheriff Court on a charge of driving without due care and attention, after admitting to driving at 83 mph and overtaking unsafely on the A7 between Auchenrivock and Canonbie in February 2012.

As of 2017, Day lives in Dubai, and "spends fewer than 10 days a year in the UK".